Black Friday
by ficdirectory
Summary: Part 13 of the Paris series.  Garcia convinces Emily & JJ to go shopping on Black Friday. Written for the CMPromptMeme


"You can't be serious," Emily said, looking doubtfully at Garcia. "You're going to go stand outside in the freezing cold on Thanksgiving Day, in order to get some deal, shopping?"

"Oh, Emily! Not just _some deal_," Garcia intoned, clearly mocking her friend. "The _best deals. Ever_."

"You know, they only have, like, three of the thing everybody wants?" JJ mentioned, walking by Garcia's layer.

"Quiet, you," Garcia chastised good-naturedly. After we stuff ourselves silly at Rossi's Thanksgiving extravaganza, _we_ are going shopping." Garcia smiled, clearly pleased with herself. "Actually, first, we're going camping. _Then_, we're going shopping."

"_We_ are doing nothing of the sort," Emily insisted. My ulcer's acting up and I've had too many sleepless nights to willingly sacrifice one for something as ridiculous as shopping..." Emily scoffed.

"JJ, you'll go, won't you?" Garcia begged sadly.

"Garcia, why are you so into Black Friday? I would think you'd be crazy about Cyber Monday?" JJ asked, doing her best to dodge the issue.

"There are things you don't know about me..." Garcia said, trying to sound appropriately mysterious. "Come on, it'll be fun. We can bond. I have a tent," she said, as if that would change everything.

And somehow, hours later after gorging themselves on Rossi's turkey, JJ's mac and cheese and various delicious sides, JJ and Emily joined Garcia in a tent on the sidewalk, in a line of about 1,000 people at a local store.

They huddled together to keep warm, telling jokes about the day to pass the time. "Why did you ask Rossi if he 'wanted to keep this carcass?'" JJ asked Garcia, smiling despite the chill and her aching body.

"Because! You never know what you can do with a turkey carcass!" Garcia insisted comically.

"Garcia, this had better be worth it..." Emily insisted through chattering teeth. "I left a warm house, a bed and Sergio, so I could do this. So far all I've seen are bitchy, greedy people."

"Grinch..." JJ muttered.

"What did you say?" Emily asked.

Suddenly, Garcia reached out and put her arms around both of them. She sang in a clear, sweet voice. "Sleigh bells ring. Are you listening? In the lane...snow is glistening. A beautiful sight. Be happy tonight. Walking in a winter wonderland..."

"Garcia, stop..." Emily urged. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a funk lately. I really thought a night like this was never going to happen again..." she hedged.

"How do you mean?" JJ asked.

"I mean, it might've _happened_, but I was sure I wouldn't get to be here for it. I was in Paris and Italy and...God, so many places. I planned on spending Christmas by myself, painting pictures of my loneliness... All this is just unbelievable."

"You paint?" Garcia asked.

"She paints," JJ confirmed. "She's amazing."

"Will you paint _me_ something?" Garcia asked so honestly it caught Emily by surprise.

"Sure, anything."

"Okay," Garcia smiled, happily. "I guess you ladies were right, as usual. Who needs Black Friday shopping when there are beautiful things at our fingertips already. Let's pack up this tent city and go home."

"Let's crash at Em's. It's closest. And we can see her art gallery," JJ put in, only half-joking.

"Would you _shut up_? I do not have a gallery." Emily snapped, hiding her embarrassment with temper.

"You _did_," JJ countered at the same time as Garcia interjected:

"You _should_."

At Emily's they piled onto her huge bed while Sergio purred and wound his way around their arms and legs, vying for attention. Garcia stared in awe at the massive collection surrounding her. So many canvasses. They had images of clocks, a chessboard, a black cat and more. All images JJ and Garcia recognized as significant in some way to their team. Their family.

They sipped hot chocolate and hot apple cider to warm up while Emily told the story behind each painting they asked about. The painting of the clocks was for Garcia, because of all the clocks in her office, marking different time zones. The cat in the grass, of course, was Sergio.

"It's strange, isn't it? To travel halfway around the world and end up painting your home?" Emily asked.

"Not really," JJ allowed. "You were there, but your heart was here. It makes sense that you painted what you felt."

And so they got lost in conversation, barely noticing when Garcia excused herself briefly and located a room, empty of everything but canvasses, brushes and paints. It stole her breath because a room like this should be overflowing with beauty, but instead it stood stark and white, while Emily's bedroom overflowed with creativity.

The next morning, Emily rose early, jerking awake as the nightmare left her breathless again. The sensation of the wooden stake piercing her side remained as vivid as ever. She forced herself to shake off the memory and walked to the restroom. On her way, something caught her attention.

Her studio, which had been dark and lifeless, due to her inability to create a single piece of art since returning home, was not as she had left it. On a previously blank canvass, there was now a large pink heart.

Stepping closer, Emily read the inscription on the bottom:

_My heart was always with you. I hope, knowing this, makes the dark days you spent a little brighter. _

_Love, Penelope._


End file.
